by Don Howard

Created on: December 09, 2008

A traveling salesman was driving a country road when he pulled into a farm yard in search of a drink of water from the well there. As he stood talking to the farmer, he glanced into the pig pen nearby and noticed a large pig with a wooden leg. This piqued his curiosity and he asked the farmer what the story was on him.

"Well sir, that pig is somewhat of a hero around here. A few months back the farmhouse caught fire in the middle of the night. We might have all burned to death in our beds but that there pig busted out of his sty and ran through the front door squealing like the dickens and woke everyone up. Saved our lives!"

"Is that how he hurt his leg?," the salesman asked.

"Naw, he didn't get hurt. Then, about a month ago, I was up there on the side hill on my tractor and the dang thing hit a rut and tumped over right on top of me. That there pig busted out of this pen again and raced up the hill, rooted the dirt out from under me and dragged me out from under the tractor. I could have been crushed to death!"

"So he hurt his leg saving you?," the salesman wanted to know.

"Naw, he didn't get hurt."

The salesman now wanted the farmer to just cut to the chase and answer his question and asked a little impatiently, "Well, why in the heck does that pig have a wooden leg?"

To which the farmer replied, "Mister, when you got a pig like that, you don't eat him all at once."

===========================

Humor is so subjective. If, for example, you are overly sensitive to the idea of slaughtering animals for food, this joke may offend. If you take the joke as a slight against those who have some type of infirmity or prosthetic device, this joke may also offend. In my world, there are so very few subjects that are off limits for humor's sake. I remember going through my confirmation training in Sunday school classes and hearing the following riddle: "What's black and white and read all over?" I had heard this one before and quickly replied, "a newspaper." My friend corrected me by saying, "No. A nun with a spear in her chest." The idea that we could have a little fun at the expense of the stern-faced penguins who had been driving us like drill instructors for weeks opened up a whole new world for me. Since those days long ago, I have held the irreverant in great reverence. I understand that not everyone feels this way. But give me a good joke that thumbs its nose at the powerful and you'll get a belly laugh from me every time.

Learn more about this author, Don Howard.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.